Draft warrant surfaces for Shirley growth district

By Mary E. Arata, marata@nashobapub.com

Posted:
11/30/2012 08:08:13 AM EST

DEVENS -- The proposed Shirley Village Growth District is located within the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone. The town purchased several acres from the state 10 years ago and built its Town Hall, library, middle school and Police Department within the DREZ.

Totaling 44 acres, the proposed district is one of several development areas being studied for Shirley by the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission.

MRPC planners briefed the Joint Boards of Selectmen regarding a potential move to rezone the district to allow commercial, retail and residential uses.

MRPC Planner Eric Smith said the 1994 Devens Reuse Plan outlines the district but does not include residential uses, which have been flagged as a town need in recent years.

A MassDevelopment-financed study suggests the zone could support 25,400 to 42,400 square feet of retail space, and another 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of residential development. To rezone the land, Ayer, Harvard and Shirley Town Meetings must all vote yes during a simultaneously-held Super Town Meeting. MRPC planners handed out a sample warrant which discussed allowing multifamily and elderly residential uses and a separate 100-unit cap for the district alone.

Smith said the emphasis would be on multifamily, instead of single-family, housing. Smith cited a 2005 Westminster study which he said proved that multifamily housing generates "significantly less (school aged children) than three- to four-bedroom single-family homes.

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Devens' school-aged children are currently educated under a MassDevelopment contract with the Harvard School District. Smith said, "Shirley participants were concerned if the kids would come back to Shirley at some point in time. That's why that issue came up."

"Shirley is not looking to move forward," at this time, assured JBOS representative and former selectman Rico Cappucci. "We don't want to rock the boat."

Cappucci said the town would not want to proceed down the path to a Super Town Meeting without ensuring the votes were there. Cappucci said Shirley hopes to avoid the "embarrassment" of having its neighbors say no to a zoning change.

Devens Committee member Phil Crosby said the "elephant in the room" is the uncertainty over what entity will assume final jurisdiction over the DREZ.

Crosby said Shirley's planning suggests "this is ours," while Ayer voters have twice passed initiatives to resume jurisdiction of Ayer lands within the DREZ. Crosby said Harvard remains "disinterested" at the moment.

Crosby feared "tearing apart" the DREZ, where pieces would be left to MassDevelopment's management. "We'd be a ward of the state forever."

"We're listening to your opinion," said Cappucci. "We've done what we had to do. We put it on the table. Shirley wants to know what Ayer and Harvard think."

Shirley is also studying other development zones in Shirley with MRPC's technical assistance. "We're not all over the playing field," said Cappucci. "We have specific locations we're having them look at."

"I can't speak for the committee," said Cappucci. However, Cappucci ventured to guess the town may wish to prioritize development on Lancaster Road "because we do have a company looking to come into Shirley."

"Shirley's requested the most projects of our 22 towns," said Smith. "I give them credit for applying to our program."

Smith said special presentations are planned for Ayer and Harvard to seek input about the Shirley Village Growth District.

MassDevelopment Executive Vice President for Devens Operations George Ramirez said there has been "some land swap" talk with Shirley. "I'm not sure where that stands today. We'd be happy to talk."

"There were no determinations made as to who would get that land," said attorney Ernest Hyde, of Shirley. "We'd love to have it. But it was made clear to us that there are no determinations made at that point."

"The purpose of the plan we put together here -- the development plan -- was to recommend to MassDevelopment 'If we had our druthers, this is what we'd like to see there,'" said Hyde.

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